Thor's Hammer
by SayRed
Summary: Astrid needs help! She summons a grumpy Bartimaeus, who quickly realizes she's not like most humans. What starts out as a simple task turns into a life-changing adventure. Takes place in the Viking Age. Bartimaeus/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction ever! Eeeeep. (Please be nice). Feedback is really appreciated. If you see any spelling mistakes/grammar errors, pretty pretty please let me know. Also, Historical details might not be 100% correct. Takes place in an AU where Bart never met Ptolemy. (don't hate me) Oooh, and I don't own anything! :( **

- Astrid-

Astrid held her breath as she recited the summoning spells in her mind. She had read them over innumerable times this year, but still found her heart beating faster than usual. It was terrifying, summoning a spirit. Especially with her level of experience. Sure she had summoned lesser spirits many times before, but with these higher demons all it took was one hesitation and it was all over.

She took a deep breath. Finally positive she was ready, Astrid began reciting. Midway through her spell something had yet to happen, and she became nervous. But she bowed her head, shut her eyes and continued, her soft voice never wavering. After she had uttered the final word, she glanced up and found herself staring at an empty pentacle. She cursed. The djinni must be in someone else's control.

Stepping cautiously out of the circle, Astrid looked around for her spell book. Her little cabin was sparsely furnished. There was a small bed in one corner, covered in a threadbare blanket and a crooked little table in the opposite one. From her view in front of the cabin's tiny fireplace, she spotted an ancient book lying open on the single chair near the table. Astrid walked over and picked it up.

The yellow-paged, leather-bound artifact was her family's only heirloom. Astrid held it with care as she flipped through the familiar pages. Her family had traditionally been the village's healers, curing any sort of illness the people had. Because this sometimes necessitated supernatural help, her family members were also amateur magicians. Her mother had taught Astrid all she knew about spirits; this somewhat limited knowledge had been passed down for many generations.

Astrid sighed as she thought about her family. Thinking about what had happened still brought angry tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back. She stopped turning the word pages as she renewed her composure. She couldn't cry. What had happened had happened, and now she needed to be strong for her family. She took a a deep breath and once again, began turning the pages.

When she had found what she was looking for, Astrid leaned forward to look closely at the page. Squinting, she tried to make out the tiny lettering. Finding the right list, she chose the first name she saw. Astrid put down the book gently, and made her way back to the pentacle.

"Well, Bartimaeus of Uruk," she though. "I guess you're going to be helping me now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Still don't own anything... Also, any feedback/pointers/advice you have is welcome :)**

- Bartimaeus -

When a magician summons you, not only is it incredibly annoying, it's uncomfortable too. So when I felt that familiar tugging on my essence, I was not at all amused. Why couldn't they leave me alone? I knew, of course, that there was no use whining (but it did make me feel a bit better). How long was I going to be chained to the earth this time? My guess was some war was going on. I hadn't fought in one in a while and with humans being the dumb animals they are, wars tended to be fairly common. Of course, those that caused them usually never fought in them, preferring instead to send hordes of spirits in their place. Cowards. Ah, but such is the life of a noble, high-ranking djinni. I mean, someone with a reputation as impressive as mine is bound to get summoned a lot.

Surrendering myself to the pull on my essence, which was growing rather uncomfortable, I decided to make the best of the situation. Snickering inwardly, I decided on the best form to take for my first encounter with my new slave driver.

A high-pitched "Oh!" was the first sound the curvy young woman heard when she appeared in the pentacle. Good. Apparently the magician was young. Adolescent magicians were the funniest to mess with. Humans and their hormones. The woman chuckle seductively (which is actually more challenging than it sounds), ran her fingers through her thick dark hair, and peered out from under her lashes towards the other pentacle. Her brown eyes widened in surprise. I wasn't expecting the magician to be female. I smirked.

Across from me stood a young woman with an athletic build. Her dark blue eyes were narrowed, and her hands were on her hips. As far as humans go, this girl was actually quite beautiful. Her thick long hair framed her face nicely. It was very blond, almost white. She was pale, with high cheek bones and full pink lips. One of her thin eyebrows, a darker blond colour, was raised. Blondie was staring at me, obviously unimpressed. When I changed my guise to a winged Sumerian man, her expression softened.

She smiled and greeted me in Norse, "Hello Bartimaeus of Uruk. Please forgive me for summoning you from The Other Place. I promise your time here will be short."

"That's what they all say," I replied, slightly bitter. My handsome face pouted.

"You have my word. I wouldn't have summoned you, noble spirit, unless it was absolutely necessary." she said earnestly and, for some reason, I believed her. Her wide blue eyes had an almost naive look to them.

"So what's the impossible task?" I asked, folding my chiseled arms. (My biceps may, or may not have grown a bit..)

The young girl held up a large sack. " I need you to deliver this to my mother. She lives in a small village about 5 miles east of here. Please ensure she receives ALL of it completely intact. I must forbid you from harming any humans you meet along the way." She pondered a moment, "Oh! and that also includes me. You can't hurt me." She grinned.

"Take whatever this is to your mother, living 5 miles away? Sounds too simple," I replied. with some degree of uncertainty. These things are NEVER simple. "What's the catch? Is she guarded? Hiding? Dangerous?"

The girl looked confused. "Uhh no! No." She sighed, " Normally I would just make the trip, it's not very far. But..." she trailed off, her eyes looking away.

"But what?" I pried. For some reason, I found this strange little human intriguing.

"I have been exiled from my town. I will be killed if I return, even if only to bring my mother essentials." Her voice was soft and sad, but she stood up straighter and held her head high.

"Ooooooo. Whaddya do?" I asked. Not that a really cared, of course. Humans and their problems bore me. Mostly.

"That's not really any of your business." She said quickly, still avoiding my golden eyes. I sighed, a bit disappointed. (So what? I'm allowed to be curious)

"Alright. I will complete your task. But only because I have to." I growled, and turned to exit the tiny cabin. I was expecting some sort of rebuke, a punishment even. However not in all my time spent on earth had I ever heard a human say what she said next and mean it.

"I know. And I'm truly sorry it has to be this way."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: New Chapter! Wooo! Sorry for the delay. It's kind of off to a slow start, but there will be more action soon. Bartimaeus has no idea what's in store for him! Still don't own anything. Jonathan Stroud is a genius :)**

**-Bartimaeus-**

Well, here I was. Stuck on earth forced to do yet another human's bidding. Delivering the bag would take no time at all, but I was skeptical as to whether or not Blondie was actually going to release me. Sure she _seemed_ okay, but that's how a lot of magicians start out. I still wasn't convinced.

However, suspicious as a I was, I was also quite curious about the girl. Her pentacles were perfectly, as was her summoning. She obviously had experience with higher-level spirits. But from where did she get it? Magicians were very uncommon in this area of the world. Who was her teacher? I pondered this as I flew through the trees. I had taken the form of an elegant eagle. I held the sack in my beak.

Obviously my first instinct had been to search the sack.(Luckily, she hadn't forbidden me from taking a peek.) It was quite a large sack, filled to the brim with pelts of all kinds. This impressed me. The girl was obviously a skilled hunter. Aside from the fur, the only other thing in the bag was a letter addressed: _Mother. _Ooooh, I believed it was time for some real snooping. I opened it carefully with my talons. It read:

_Dearest Mother,_

_How are you? How is Freya? I miss you both so terribly it hurts me. What I wouldn't do to be able to come back to our village. I am fine but it can be very lonely in the woods. _

_Hopefully these pelts can bring you more than enough money to last the month. Put the extra into our savings. The faster we save our coins, the faster we can be safely reunited and leave the village. I am worried for you both. We need to move as soon as possible._

_I have summoned a new djinni to deliver the pelts because dear Faqua_r_l is currently serving someone else. The new spirit is called Bartimaeus and he seems to be quite nice, please treat him kindly. _

_I must apologize for the underwhelming length of this letter, but I wish for you to receive the pelts as soon as possible. Know that I love you and Freya very much. _

_Your loving daughter,_

_- A_

_P.S. Give Freya a big hug from me._

So I'm not going to lie, the letter was very sweet. Except for one detail. "_dear Faquarl_"? This girl may be strangely considerate towards spirits but that is no excuse for liking Faquarl. Trying to overlook that unpleasant detail, I noted another of importance. She had only used her first initial. This girl KNEW I was going to read the letter and she didn't want me to know her name. Blondie was smart. I folded up the letter, and began my journey.

It took me about an hour to reach the village. By that time, it was dusk. The village was very small, and surrounded by a stone wall covered in moss. I landed just inside the wall, and took the form of the Sumerian man. His usual outfit has been replaced a long woolen shirt, a leather vest, some cloth pants and tall leather boots. I didn't want to stick out too much. Even so, I kept a low profile. Luckily finding Blondie's mother wasn't that difficult.

Their house was made out of the same mossy stone as the village's walls. It was quite small and had a thatched roof. I politely knocked on the door, holding up the bag when Blondie's mother opened it. She was with a young girl about twelve years old. They both had the same white-blonde hair and navy eyes as my master.

Apparently, having a djinni deliver them pelts was a regular occurrence in this family. The mother greeted me warmly and ushered me inside.

"Thank you so much for your delivery. I don't know what we would do without spirits like you." she smiled.I must admit it was a bit overkill, but she seemed sincere and it was nice to have my work appreciated for once.

"No problem! Here you go!" I grinned, and handed her the sack. She took it from my outstretched hand and reached inside, pulling out the letter. She read it over quickly, smiling in a melancholy way.

She then turned to me, "So you're Bartimaeus? You've been a lot more polite than the other djinni my daughter sent."

I grinned. Never mind the overkill, this woman was great! " Thank you. However, I must be going now. My master will be expecting me."

"Oh yes, tell my daughter I love her and everything is well. I will send her a letter with your next visit. "

I nodded, then left.

It was about dusk when I arrived back at Blondie's cottage. The eagle landed gracefully, then turned into the Sumerian spear-holder once again. I entered, and looked around. To my annoyance, the cottage was empty. I folded my arms. I didn't want to wait any longer before my dismissal. If I _was_ going to be dismissed. Even now, that familiar ache was building up inside me. Where was Blondie?

Seeing as dismissal didn't seem to be in my near future, I took the opportunity to find out more about my new master. Looking around the small shack, I concluded she was quite capable and independent. The house was quite clean, though there wasn't much in it. I spied a journal on her spindly bedside table, and grinned. Maybe I'd find some _useful_ information. Plus, I was bored.

No sooner had I picked the journal up, the door opened and Blondie walked in. Her gaze zoomed directly to me, holding the journal and smiling guiltily.


End file.
